Customer Reviews

Babylon 5 - The Corps Is Mother The Corps Is Father / Meditations on the Abyss [VHS]

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CORPS IS MOTHER, CORPS IS FATHER. You'll either love him or you'll hate him. And the later is much more frequent... We're dealing with the infamous Mr. Bester here, played beautifully by Star Trek TOS W. Koenig. And this episode is all about him.

Welcome to the inside of the Psi Corps, and particularly the Psi Cops division. Bester is assigned to two level 12 telepaths, to evaluate them as possible Psi Cops. As he takes them to a fist tour around the department, a dead body is found. Another Psi Cop trainee has been murdered, possibly by his roommate. The fugitive is traced to Babylon 5 (surprise, surprise) and Bester goes after him.

This is a highly entertaining episode. Most B5 has been intrigued with the Psi Corps, and this episode throws light to many aspects of this secretive organization. Not all questions are answered, but we learn a lot of new info and we are confronted by many unexpected secrets. And then there's Bester. So far, he's succeeded in making us dislike him, starting from the episode "A Race through Dark Places" up to his dealing with Garibaldi. Some of us may have felt pity for him, with his only love modified by the Shadows and still in cryogenic stasis on B5. And other viewers, those who prefer evil characters, may absolutely adore him. However, in this episode we learn more about his psychology: He DOES love his people and he wants to help them, in his own way, believing he's doing what's best for them.

Interesting touch: the titles sequence, when the station's logo is replaced by the Psi logo.

MEDITATIONS ON THE ABYSS. Lennier has left B5 because of his feelings for Delen. However, he's a ranger in training and always at her side. And now she asks of him to gather evidence for the Centauri being behind the attacks on the Alliance Members' ships. How can he turn her down?

And during his training in the edge of Centauri space, he finds himself stuck in a Minbari fighter with air running out. He enters a meditating state, reducing his vital functions, and meditates on the abyss around and inside him.

Meanwhile, G'Kar realizes he's now a religious icon. He has to accept this burden and teach his people and guide them away from hatred. However, not all are ready for enlightenment, and the abyss he's trying to pull them out off much too dark....

Both episodes are thoughtful, intriguing looks at several important Babylon 5 figures. In "The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father" we finally get a glimpse into Psi Corps and see Psi Cop Alfred Bester (Walter Koenig) in a more benevolent light. He and two trainees must track down a murderous Psi Cops trainee, following close behind his heels to Babylon 5. Bester's human side is finally revealed; someone who cares deeply about his fellow telepaths and especially those under his command. In "Meditations on the Abyss" Lennier (Bill Mumy) undertakes a covert mission for Delenn (Mira Furlan) aboard a White Star cruiser, hoping to find concrete evidence linking the Centauri Republic to mysterious attacks on Alliance shipping. Meanwhile G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) tries to steer his followers on Babylon 5 away from hatred, finding it a difficult, almost insurmountable, task.